The Mates of Dragons

The Mage Demetri

"Hello?" Called an elderly man. He looked toward the door that opened, but his eyes didn't see. He scented for a moment with the swift cool breeze that came in and smiled. This older man was no ordinary human, and he sensed who was entering his shop.

"Xerxes! this is a very pleasant surprise. I haven't heard anything from you in nearly ninety years."

"I'm surprised you are still alive old man." Xerxes said, his bright green eyes looking around the odd shop that smelled like old paper and herbs. The place was on the darker side with out much light and had all different kinds of artifacts. Things that could be incredibly dangerous if one knew how to use it. Most times humans just thought it looked cool and put it in their house. What a waste.

"Do you still have your friend?" He asked coming around the counter and stopping in front of him. Xerxes was a good foot taller than the man. His hair a wiry golden grey and he wore ridiculous clothing. Completely eccentric, with robes of blue and green with yellow beads hanging around his neck. but the only other person in the world that Xerxes had a conversation with besides Zani. More importantly respected.

"As always." Zani sat perched on his shoulder looking down at the man who held out a hand. Zani snapped up the large chunk of dried meat that he had held out there.

This is why we keep showing up. Moose jerky, delicious.

"I only carry it for my best customers." He said turning and moving back to his counter. Xerxes looked around the place and his eyes rested on the volumes that were to the left of the counter space.

"You've read all of those, what could you want?" Xerxes looked at him, he might be old and blind, but he never missed a single thing. Kind of creepy his odd ways, it just made Xerxes smile.

Demetri was close to two hundred years old now. Xerxes remembered him as but a child in his mother's store. She'd been a crazy old lady too, but she'd chosen to just let time take her well over a hundred years ago. Mages were an interesting people, and most so self-centered and using the dark arts that they died at young ages from heart failure. The energies needed to use the magic they wanted took a toll on the body.

"I wasn't very happy with my metal transmutation the other day. The blade wasn't as sharp, that and I missed the stale smell of this place." Xerxes said and moved to the shelf of books and moved down them. Xerxes was extremely accomplished in the magick area. Humans weren't the only ones that could be mage.

"I'm sure it was flawless."

'He was a bit slow, still got the vampire.' Zani said mentally, jumping off his shoulder to sit on the desk looking at Demetri. He hadn't always been blind, but a fight with a very strong dark mage some time ago had cost him his sight, he still won.

"Are you ridding the world of the vermin then?" Demetri asked. "They run rampant through the streets here. I'm thinking of picking up and moving on."

"Without telling us where?"

"I figured you'd find me, you always do. I'm still upset that you won't bring me some of the tomes from Alexandria."

"I've offered to take you to see them, but they will stay where they are." Xerxes said, and that was not a light offer to make. It spoke that he did consider Demetri more than just a human acquaintance.

"Some day, some day." Demetri said. "I'm growing tired, when you take me, that will probably be the day that I ask you to take all of this with to keep safe." Demetri sated with a sigh. This world he did not feel should be allowed much of what he had. He did however have a hope in a couple young ones he was teaching.

"Just like so much before." Xerxes said with a sigh. "I saved a lot from that library by the way, after all I could walk in the fire where no one else was able to. Still it was a sad day, a day that showed humans were turning on themselves." Xerxes thought about the fire at Alexandria, such a beautiful place. Such a horrible day. By the time he'd seen it, the fire was already raging beyond control, and only a few humans had dared try to save some of the tomes.